Tuesday, 24 February 2009

What if...

the catholic church would grow up and be what it's supposed to be... well that will not happen in my lifetime.

So... what if we would all be honest and tell others what we think. How we feel. What's going through our heads. Without the fear of being laughed at. Ridiculed. Persecuted... well that will not happen in anyone's lifetime.

What if we would be grateful for what we have and willing to share with others who have less to make the world more balanced... alas... that won't happen either.

You see, there are many many things in this world that would be great if they happened, but they probably won't. There are other things that would be great if they happened and we can just make them happen by doing them. That's a good start.

The thing is that the crisis of the economy these days (I know... you've heard enough about that in the last 6 months) can be a chance for the governments of the world to make some things right.

Things have been going on in the last 50 years that on the surface benefitted (is that a word) the world as a whole, but in fact have been detrimental to the human existence. I'm not only talking about the big stuff like climate change and civil wars in Sudan or Dafur or or or... but I'm also talking about us. About people who take on 5 credit card and maxing them out to buy new shoes. About people who buy a new TV set that they cannot afford and try to pay it over the next 3 years with monthly rates that are too high (and all that for TV that almost exclusively presents us with shit in all colours). We have been living not only beyond our own budgets, but ultimately beyond the budget of our society as a whole.

If a farmer in India takes on a loan for 100$ because he wants to buy a cow and some seeds, then this loan has a value on the other side. Something that might grow. Something that might profit. Something that might help pay back this loan in the future.

If a middle class white guy in Ohio takes on a loan so he can buy a Porsche that he cannot afford to drive, there is nothing behind this loan, it's like a money sink.

But banks have been too greedy. They see only the money they could make of that middle class white guy before his budget croaks.

If the banks (and other institutions for that matter) realize that it's not all about making money, it's about building a future. Then maybe. Maybe. Maybe it's not too late.

There has been a lot of talk about responsibility... well it's about time.